Illuminated advertising medium



May 14, 1957 L. LAsKow ETAL ILLUMINATED ADVERTISING MEDIUM Filed Feb. 2 3,A 1954 HrLUMlNATED ADVERTISING MEDIUM Luke L. Laskow and Frank D. Kiewel, Minneapolis,

Minn., assignors to Minneapolis Brewing Co., Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application February 23, 1954, Serial No. 411,787

2 Claims. (Cl. 40-130) This invention relates to illuminated advertising media particularly :adapted to generally display the name of a manufacturer, product or proprietor of a shop and further adapted to focus the attention of the public to a location, place of business or the like where the product is sold or where service is rendered by the proprietor whose name is generally displayed.

Our invention is particularly applicable to elevated, overhanging panel display signs above shops, restaurants, bars and the like which are generally supported from the front wall of the place of business at some elevation above the sidewalk and usually adjacent to the entrance.

It is an object of our invention to provide a comparatively simple, highly efficient, illuminated display medium which will prominently display at some height above the entrance to a shop or place of business, such information as the name of the proprietor or a product sold by the proprietor and which will, furthermore, focus the attention of passersby in a highly novel manner to the location and entrance of the proprietors establishment.

A further object is the provision of a combined illuminated advertising display wherein certain of the elements utilized for focusing attention to the location of the entrance of a place of business have the dual function of increasing the eiciency of luminescence of cold cathode tubes used in the main panel display.

Another object is the provision of display medium of the class described wherein, in addition to the very prominent vertical elevated panel display, the attention of the passing public for a considerable distance from the location is directed to the entrance of the Shop or place of business and that entrance is well illuminated by direction of light rays in a downwardly and diverging manner.

A still further object is to provide in such a combined, illuminated advertising medium, a variation of attentionarresting effects in color, advertising copyand unusual visual cloud effects.

These and other objects and advantages of our invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the several views and in which:

Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic perspective view on a relatively small scale showing in a general way the external structure, mounting and functions of one form of our invention;

Figure 2 is a view mainly in side elevation with some portions of a display panel broken away illustrating a simplified form of our invention;

Figure 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical section taken longitudinally through the lower and forward portion of a frame structure and panel display, utilizing another and more elaborate form of our invention; and

Figure S is a bottom plan view of the form of the in- States Patent O Frce vention shown in Figure 4, with some portions of the bottom of the panel casing being broken away.

Referring now to the form of our invention shown in Figures 2 and 3, a generally rectangular, box-like sign indicated as an entirety by the letter S is suitably supported at a considerable elevation above the sidewalk W, as shown, from the front wall of a building B. The sign S is disposed vertically, being swingably hung from loop couplings 7 secured to the top of the sign casing, said couplings being hingedly mounted, as shown, upon a rigid horizontal pipe or arm 8, the inner end of which is made fast in the building wall. The sign is further supported and braced by a heavy diagonal chain C connected at its outer end to the outermost loop 7 and an-` chored at its upper and inner end to a suitable support on the building (not shown). Sign S includes a skeleton box-like frame 9, having horizontal top and bottom walls 9a and 9b respectively and outer and inner end walls 9c and 9d respectively. Frame 9 is enclosed and covered at its opposite faces or edges by removable translucent display panels 10 which have processed thereon, usually in colors, indicia such as words, pictures or artwork identifying products, proprietors or names to be prominently advertised.

Within the sign box S, in the forms of the invention shown, are mounted in spaced relation to the ends thereof, vertical tube-supporting uprights 11 which may be of angle bar or T-bar construction, said uprights, as shown, being provided with suitable electrical supports and sockets arranged in spaced sets for supporting and electrically connecting the terminals of conventional luminescent electrical tubes T. At present in such advertising displays, cold cathode tubes are usually ernployed with circuits including transformers, and such tubes in cold weather often are dicult to start and, when illuminated at outside temperatures, give a rather low illuminating el`ciency.

Suitable service wires 12 are brought out, as shown, to the outer end of the sign through the supporting pipe or arm 8 and enter the sign box through the top thereof, being suitably connected electrically to the various tube sockets.

The spacing of the tube-supporting uprights 11 from the ends of the sign casing leaves vertical chambers within the ends of the box or housing, the outer chamber of which is identified by the numeral 13. In the lower portion of this outer chamber 13, we mount, as shown, an elbow-type electrical socket 14, preferably supported from a web of the adjacent upright 11. In this socket is detachably mounted, in the form of Figures 2 and 3, a depending conventional floodlight 15 equipped with suitable reflective material at its inner peripheral surface and having a horizontal lens 15a :at the lower end thereof which may be transparent or be brilliantly colored to produce downwardly directed and diverging rays or beams of light. Lens 15a may also be constructed with advertising indicia applied thereto for the purpose of producing upon the sidewalk or other surface below the sign, colored or black and white images having advertising value. From Figure 1, it will be noted that a relatively large beam of light is cast downwardly from the outer end lower portion of sign panel S brightly illuminating the space between the sign panel and the sidewalk W and producing a large spot or image upon the sidewalk directly in front of the entrance E of the place of business. This light beam, through subsequent reflection by sidewalk and building front, intensities an illuminated area about the doorway or entrance E and beneath the vertical panel display effected through the display panels 10.

Such rather intensive illuminated area focuses t-he attention of the public passing to and fro on both sides of the street `where the Yplace of "business is `located to the particular shop or place of business and to the entrance thereof. Thus, from the manifold effects p roduced, the passing publicfor somedistance can see and be informed through bright Villumination of Vthe proprietors name or the products handled in the Shop or place of business or the nature of services rendered, and upon advancing to a position within 011e hundred feet or so of the sign, will be :attracted and attention focused on the particular locality of the shop or place of business and the entrance thereto.

In Figures 4 :and 5, another and more elaborate embodiment of our invention is shown wherein unusual alternating color and cloud effects are obtained in the illuminated area below the sign panel S. Here a floodlight socket 14 and floodlight 15, similar to the ysocket and iloodlight of the formV firs-t described, are provided in an outer vertical chamber 13 supplied by a somewhat deeper sign panel 9. The lens 15a of the oodlight is preferably transparent and is positioned, as shown, substantially ush with the horizontal dust shield 16 mounted on the lower horizontal wall of the sign frame. This wall is circularly apertured at 9e Vfor transmittal of light rays Vand a circular rotary shutter 17 is mounted below lens a and aixed to la driven countershaft 17a which is mounted in a gear transmission case 18 as shown, aiixed to the lower end of a vertically mounted motor M. Motor M, as shown, is cushioned in its mounting and is rigidly affixed to the lower portion of the supporting upright 11. The shutter disc 17, as shown in Figure 5, is provided with a plurality of differently colored, highly translucent, circumferentially arranged colored discs 19, the axis of said shutter being disposed rearwardly of floodlight 15 so that, upon slow rotation of the shaft 17a and disc 17, the said colored disc 19 will be successively brought into and out of alignment with the'lens 15a, at times in the cycle of operation, portions of two contrasting discs being disposed across the lens.

A steam generator G or other source of cloud forming gaseous or vaporous material is employed in the form of our invention shown in Figures 4 and 5 located, as indicated in dotted lines, either in the lower portion of the sign box S or, if desired, supported `within the building and suitably connected with a discharge conduit 20, the outer end of which is directed downwardlyand terminates in a nozzle 20a, as shown. If desired, an intermittently operated valve V may be interposed in conduit 20 to periodically open and close, producingputfs or jets of steam or other cloudy material to be discharged from the nozzle 20a downwardly and beneath the beam orbe-ams of colored light produced through the cooperation of fioodlight 1S and the rotating shutter 17.

With our structure and embodiment last described, a considerable area and space below the panel sign` Swill be rather intensively illuminated and clouds of steam or other vaporous material will be brilliantly illuminated with color effects, producing miniature clouds which focus attention of passersby and which are predetermined as to shape 'and form and move in various directions according to wind and atmospheric conditions, all, however, being elevated preferably above the heads of passersby. This unusual and changing illuminated and cloudeffect with the variations in color, arrests theattention of the public and focuses attention on lthe lshop or place of business itself and particularly the entrance thereof. In =all forms of our invention the entrance'of the shop is illuminated by the joint effect of the 'light sources.

In both forms of our invention illustrated and described, the structure and cooperation of the tloodlight, through production of heat, serves the dual function of at least slightly heating the cold cathode or other luminescent tubes T within the sign frame. Thus a heating medium is provided through the floodlight of the form of the-inventionin Figures 2 and 3 and through the cooperation of this oodlight and steam conduit and/or generator of the form of the invention shown in Figures 4 and 5. The eciency of cold cathode tubes or other luminescent tubes in cold weather is very materially enhanced by the heating of suoli tubes through the media of our invention.l In actual operation during cold temperatures lower than .05 above zero, illuminative efficiency of the cathode tubes has been found to be raised as high as from 50% to 80% over the normal outdoor efciency.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that we have provided a highly novel, unusual and very attractive combination advertising medium producing manifold illuminative effects and focusing attention of the public and passersby to the business location itself and particularlyto its entrance.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made inthe form, detail, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of our invention.

VWhat we claim is:

l. An illuminated advertising medium for a place of business having in combination an electrically illuminated overhead panel sign, means for supporting said sign in elevated position from the front vwall of a place of business, said signV having vertical display walls, a iluorescent source of electrical illumination behind said display walls, saidsign including a frame providing an enclosed chamber at the outer'portion thereof, an electrical iloodlight mounted in said chamber and having reflecting means for directing rays of ,light in a downwardly diverging relation, said frame having a lower aperture therein through which said light may be projected, means for electrically connecting said light to a source of electrical current for supplying said fluorescent source of illumination, said floodlight throwing an enlarged downwardly diverging beam of light to provide a bright illuminated area below the VAframe of said sign, focusing attention on the place of vbusiness and the entrance thereto.

V2. An illuminated advertising medium for a place of business having in combination, an electrically located overhead panel sign, means for supporting said sign in elevated position from the front Wall of a place of business, said signhaving vertical displays Walls, a fluorescent source of electrical illumination behind said display walls, said sign including a frameproviding an enclosed chamber at the outer'` portion thereof, a conventional incandescent fioodlight mounted 'in said chamber and having heat transfer through convection currents within said frame to said fluorescent source of illumination, reflecting means on sa'id oodlight for directing rays of light in a downwardly diverging relation, said frame having a lower aperture therein through which said light may be projected, means supplying electrical energy to said fluorescent source of illumination for casting display light outwardly, and means supplying electrical energy to said 'oodlight to provide a bright illuminated area below the frame ofv said sign, focusing attention on the place of business .and the entrance thereto.

References Cited in the tile ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,313,848 Drummond Aug. 19, 1919 1,747,449 Lucia f Feb. 1s, 1930 1,853,237 Sheets Apr. 12, 1932 1,934,418 Gauthier Nov. 7, 1933 2,507,350 Russen May 9, 195o 2,620,580 Dwinell Dec. 9, 1952 FOREIGN `PATENTS 534,962 Graaf Britain Mar. 24, 1941 .as N... 

